


Love, Loki, and the Winchesters

by CharcoalAndGraphite



Category: Norse Religion & Lore, Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Apocalypse, Blood, Blood Drinking, Creature Dean, Creature Sam, Fluff, Gabriel (Supernatural) is Loki, Light Angst, M/M, Magic, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pagan God Dean, Pagan God Dean Winchester, Pagan God Gabriel (Supernatural), Pagan God Sam, Pagan God Sam Winchester, Pagan Gods, Pagan god AU, Paganism, References to Norse Religion & Lore, Rituals, The Trickster - Freeform, Trickster Gabriel (Supernatural), Trickster Gods, Tricksters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-02
Updated: 2018-02-08
Packaged: 2019-02-23 11:30:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13189152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CharcoalAndGraphite/pseuds/CharcoalAndGraphite
Summary: He exhaled a white plume of smoke. With a sigh, he crushed the cigarette under his heel. The man straightened up from leaning against the nondescript brick wall.He was used to the second and third looks he was getting from both men and women on the street. None of these people caught his interest. It wasn't that he already had someone, the passerby were simply below interest.He knew he was being summoned. He could feel the pull in his gut. Heaving another weighted sigh, he turned and strolled down the alley.A startled man looked at the empty space the being had been a second ago.Sam, Dean, and Bobby summon Loki to help them advert the apocalypse. Along the way they learn many truths and unexpected things about themselves. With twists and turns and surprises can they really save the world and themselves?





	1. Gods and their Mortals

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! so just a quick note here. This is my first work both in this fandom and on this sight. I will be doing my best to work through constistany holes and the newness of publishing on this website. If anyone sees anything that isn't right, or doesn't make sense please feel free to contact me and i will do my best to sort it out.  
> This story relies heavily on Loki's mythology and mythology in general. I do not at this time know if I will be using his identity at Gabriel at all. Past the apocalypse this story with have very little mention of Christianity.  
> I do hope everyone enjoys this story as much as I enjoy writing it. Thank you!

He exhaled a white plume of smoke. With a sigh, he crushed the cigarette under his heel. The man straightened up from leaning against the nondescript brick wall. He was used to the second and third looks he was getting from both men and women on the street. None of these people caught his interest. It wasn't that he already had someone, the passerby were simply below interest.  
He knew he was being summoned. He could feel the pull in his gut. Heaving another weighted sigh, he turned and strolled down the alley.

A startled man looked at the empty space the being had been a second ago.

~-~

CHAPTER ONE

Loki's p.o.v.

"I grow tired of this." I say, as I appear inside the stupid circle. It seems I've been summoned  _again_ by these idiots. As I speak I've already started poking at the edges of the trap with invisible tendrils of magic. 

"Then maybe you should give us some damn answers this time. Really Silver-Tongue, I'm starting to think you just like us." The short one was standing in front of the group, holding a book. The other two seemed reluctant, but not scared, pity.

The leader (shorty) starts walking around the circle. "I, Dean Winchester, offer this sacrifice in an exchange."

"Dean!" The giant hisses. Ah, so this is the one against this, interesting.

"Quiet, it's too late anyway." Shorty, Dean, turned back towards me.

"Loki, in accepting this sacrifice you are bound to grant our boon, information."

"What information do you seek? I will not provide anything harmful to me or mine." I know I need this sacrifice, power is in short supply these days after all. The pagans were seeing a resurgence, but it is slow going.

"The Judeo-Christian end of days is bearing down on us. We need to stop it." This time the tall one spoke. Startled I looked closely at them. Dean and the tall one had a glimmer of  _Other_ around them. It wasn't enough to affect them, or to really do anything. But given the right circumstances they could be a real force to be reckoned with. It would be best to get on their good sides.

"What is your name? Add your blood to the bowl and I will tell you what I know."

"My name is Sam." Sam went over to the bowl on a nearby table. He slid a pocket knife off the table and sliced his arm near his elbow. As the blood flowed I could feel the power gathering.

"Well?" Dean snapped. He seemed irritated now.  _Ooh_ doesn't like brother dearest in on the action now does he?

"The Judeo-Christian apocalypse cannot be stopped, or adverted. Once it starts that's it, no reset button. Everyone except the pagan devotees gets wiped out. Nothing anyone knows about can save this. Face it boys, the world as you know it is over." I flashed a feral grin at Dean. "You boys are screwed."

"Bullshit. There has to be something. We can't just roll over and die. Loki there has to be something, anything, please." Sam's voice went from defiant to pleading with surprising ease. It gave me ideas.

"Well there is one thing..." I cut off with a lewd grin, sweeping my eyes over his body.

"And what might that be?" Dean crossed his arms with a glare that said  _my brother, back off_.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"You are bound by sacrifice to answer my questions! Tell me Loki!" Dean looked positively livid.

"I don't  _know_ per say, I  _think_. It might not work."

Sam looked at me with those big eyes. "Please tell us Loki. Maybe is better than nothing."

"Well, I did notice something... _Other_... about the two of you. You could always become pagan gods."


	2. The Immortal Words of Dean Winchester

"What!" Dean sputtered. "Who the hell do you think we are? We'll never do that! That's fucked up! We wont-"

"What do you mean _' Other'_?" Sam's quiet question broke through his brothers rant.

"I don't know, that's the thing." And I really didn't know, which was irritating because I could read almost any magical signature.

"What does this mean for my boys? What's in it for you?" The third, older man, spoke up. I laughed, delighted. This hunter had balls.

"We aren't doing anything! Bobby you can't think we'll consider it!" Dean looked livid. It was almost funny to watch his face change colors.

While the three of them startled arguing I strolled out of the circle. My part of the bargain was over. I walked over to the bowl of blood and herbs and picked it up. I caught Sammy's eye and winked. Then I lifted the bowl to my lips.

Dean pulled a disgusted scowl when he realized I drank the mixture. I must have got everyone's attention when I moved. "Dude! What the hell. That's Disgusting!"

I looked over at Dean. "Do you know anything about pagan gods?  _'Blood and Flesh a sacrifice makes'_ boys. What did you think I was going to do with it? Bathe in it?" I shuttered at the thought.  _Gross_. "Pagans eat humans. I just happen to more enjoy blood to eating flesh. I like candy, sweets. Meat isn't my thing." Sam didn't look disturbed like his brother, he looked curious. That was definitely something to file away for later, something was up there.

"You never answered my question. What does this mean and what do you get out of it? What do you want Loki?" Bobby changed the subject. 

"I happen to like the world. I don't want it to end. If that means performing the ritual to invite them into my pantheon then so be it." I looked straight at Bobby, willing him to accept it as truth. He obviously had a lot of pull with his boys.

"Dean... I trust him." At Sam's declaration the tension broke with a snap.

"What?" Deans voice echoed along with my own. 

"You really shouldn't kiddo-"

" _You trust him!_ What the fuck Sam!" 

"Not very much, but Dean, think about what we know about the Trickster. He's a hedonist. Why wouldn't he want the world to keep on turning. Anything else would ruin his fun. I don't trust him unconditionally. But I don't think he would screw with us on this." Sam's little speech pulled Dean up short, he seemed to be thinking now.

"Wow Sammikins I knew there was a reason I liked you."

"Don't call me that." Sam looked disgruntled at the nickname.

"Eh, but you were right. I'm a hedonist, and I wont screw you over on this."

"Boys, I don't trust him either, but lore says Loki never breaks his word." Bobby looked at me and attempted to fix me with his eyes. "So Loki, if you swear that this will stop the apocalypse and you wont in any way harm Sam and Dean then I don't see the issue with doing the ritual. A pagan god is not the worst thing you could become."

 "I swear. You have word that Dean and Sam Winchester becoming pagan gods will stop the apocalypse and not cause them any permanent harm. the ritual requires a small amount of blood." I looked each one in the eyes in turn. "I mean none of you ill will, I swear it."

Dean turned on his heel and walked out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

Sam turned from following his brother with his eyes to look at me. "He needs some time to process. We will come to a decision together. Come back the day after tomorrow at noon and we will have an answer for you."

I nodded at them. "Until then I guess. Bye." Then I vanished on the spot. I had a ritual to prepare for.


	3. Boy King to Boy God

While the boys were angsting over their issues, I went to Odin to get official permission to bring two more into the pantheon. Don't get me wrong, I could and probably would do the ceremony anyway, but I'm still on the shit list for my latest prank. Who knew Odin wouldn't like a magically unbuckling saddle? Insert innocent smile here.

But anyway, if I was going to royally piss off some puffed up overpowered winged dickbags I should at least give a heads up.

Not only that but I needed to know what the  _Other_ the boys carried was. If anyone would be able to find out it would be Odin and his throne. I needed to know if it would throw off the ritual. If this ritual went up in flames then it would kill them, and because I swore, I would be almost dead an powerless for the All-Father only knew how long.

I walked into Odin's hall and stopped a passing servant. "Do you know where the king is?"

The servant bowed lowly. "He is in the throne room Prince Loki." I sighed internally, you can never teach them out of formality it seems. I smiled and thanked them.

I slipped through a small side door. I wanted to gauge his mood before coming with my request. The hall was crowded and due to my _completely average height_ I couldn't see the throne. I may  have levitated a few inches to get a look at his face. Odin seemed to be in a fairly good mood, so I settled down to wait.

Several hours later the last of the petitioners bowed to Odin and walked out. I slowly rose from my resting place in the shadows. When he spotted me a storm started brewing in his eyes.

"Brother mine, greetings. I did not think you would be back for another fifty years at least. What brings you before me bearing no gifts of apology?" Odin stood up from his throne, but did not descend the dais.

"Greetings dear brother, you should know I never come with apologies on my tongue. In fact, call me foolish, but I have come to ask a question and to call in a favor." Odins eyes grew darker. Quickly I carried on. "I have struck a bargain that I believe you should be aware of. The Kingpins of the Judeo-Christian End of Days have come to me and given blood for information and aide. I was as such bound to tell them the only way to stop the end of all non-pagan territories was to take themselves off the board entirely. There is something  _Other_ about them that I cannot read. The favor I ask is that you invite them into this pantheon. The question I ask is if this  _Other_ will hinder the ritual."

Odin, All-Father, King of the Norse Deities, sputtered and turned purple. " _What?!_ You would ask this of me? Even knowing the state of our peoples? Loki this is far even for you. I have heard tales of the Kingpins, they hunt us!"

"Remember brother, how I was when you took me in. Barely out of childhood, broken from betrayal. Where is that compassion I saw those early days? If not for the Kingpins, then for the earth. I think a revival with the hunters, starting with the most famous, will be good for our people, it could grow our following on earth, grow the peoples power again. At least look at them with the aide of your throne, see the asset they could be. Consider it brother, I will wait here."

Odin sighed and I knew I had won. Heavily he sat in his throne and pressed his fingers into the armrests, activating the magic within. I stood and waited for what seemed like an eternity, but was really more like five minutes. Finally he came back to himself and his gaze rested heavily on me. He sighed again.

"The Kingpins have old magic in their blood, they are vessels of The Warrior and The Morningstar. They are also from a bloodline of strong psychics. The younger one Was dosed with demon blood as an infant and has recently began drinking the stuff of his own volition. This young one worries me, he will be powerful and possibly prone to violence." Odins smile took on a wicked edge. "As such he will be bound by the Aphrodite clause. He will become _your_ bonded consort. He will remain without most of his powers until then. That is the _Other_ you sensed. I grant your favor under these conditions."

My mouth dropped open in shock. "My _Bonded Consort?_ Sam Winchester? Are you kidding me? This is  _not_ funny Odin. Stop laughing." Outrage colored my voice. Zeus was a douche, why would Odin consider this.

"You will temper each other quite nicely I think. Your humor to his temper, his calm to your crazy. You will only have to perform the formal ceremony, which I will oversee. You do not have to consummate, though Loki, I must say he is your type." The Norse king wiped mirthful tears from his eyes. "Understand this is the only way I will allow this. Take it or leave it."

I sputtered, thinking it over. Then finally I deflated and sighed. "I agree to your terms. I must bid you farewell brother, I have much to prepare before the ritual. I will take my leave."

"Go in peace brother." Odin smiled. "I will see you for the bonding."

Cheeks turning red I turned and left the hall.

 

~-~

 

 


	4. The Life Blood of Long Conversations

At exactly noon I returned to the house, the necessary items for the ritual hidden in a pocket dimension. I knew this was going to be a long conversation. 

"Well boys, you sure do cause a lot of issues, never ask for anything small do ya?"

"Hello, Loki. We have come to a decision about what we discussed. Dean and I have agreed to do this. We will not be responsible for the end of the world." Sam got right to the point, I couldn't quite look at him, I settled for his brother.

"What do we need to do?" Dean looked uncomfortable, definitely grumpy. 

"Well, that's the thing Deano, Sammy." I sighed, snapping to conjure a chair for myself. Dean flinched, but I just flopped down in the opulent chair, reclining like it was my throne at home. "I visited Odin, and he was ok with our plan, with a few conditions. The conditions are more on Sammy here, but he managed to trick me into this too. Sammy, Sammy, Sammy, Demon blood, Doll, really?" Sam went pale. Dean sputtered, going purple. Bobby started cursing in some _very_ old languages. 

"How do you know about that?"Sam's voice was hollow.

"Eh, Odin's got this throne, He can see everything in the nine worlds sitting up there. Anyway, Sammy, conditions. The demon blood in your system will make you volatile and possibly violent, it doesn't mix well with pagan magic. To keep you from going mad and power-hungry, Odin has enacted the Aphrodite Clause. To get more than the bare minimum of your powers, and risk going totally mad that way, you must become the Bonded-Consort of a god. Think of it as an arranged marriage, on paper, nothing else. It will balance you out, gods don't worry about monogamy, win-win. Odin will officiate."

"The fuck? He's not getting pagan married! Whose the god anyway? Have they been informed of this? Why not a goddess? Where does Odin get his jollies out of this?" Dean was steadily getting angrier. Sam looked like he had shell-shock.

"The god is me Deano. I told you Odin wrapped me up in this, something about taming me. I have been informed, and I don't usually do goddess. Odin is in a tizzy about my latest prank and thinks he's killing two birds with one stone. I'm not happy about this either, but last time I directly disobeyed he almost killed two of my sons. I'm not willing to test him on this."

"Dean," Sam's voice was faint. "He has a point, this is the only logical solution, I trust Loki has tried his best to think his way out of this. I don't think he wants to be formally bound to me any more than I him. But it is logical, and I am willing because I like having my wits about me." As he spoke he started regaing color, but I couldn't see that, because I still wasn't looking at him.

"Bobby, tell me you aren't considering this?" Dean pleaded.

"It makes sense boy. Sides, it ain't our decision, it's Sam's." Bobby spoke gruffly, but not unkindly. Dean huffed and stalked out of the house again, slamming the door behind him.

"Well this is becoming quite the habit for him, isn't it?" I laughed.

 

~-~

 

Dean walked back in, visibly deflated of all that anger, an hour before nightfall. His first glance went to his brother, and he relaxed. His next look swept to me, he seemed to be resigning himself to something. 

"Ok, let's do this, can't let the world end because of some pompous winged dicks." Sam looked startled, he must not have seen his brother come in.

"Let's get this show on the road boys." I snapped, materializing two small stacks of paper. "These symbols need to be painted on Dean," I said, gesturing to one pile. "These, on Sam." I waved my hand over the other stack. " Figure out who is painting what, where. I am going to set up the ritual outside. I snapped and teleported away.

 

I reappeared outside, in a clearing not far from the house. I pulled the things I needed out of the pocket dimension and laid them in a pile, forgoing the usual dramatic gesture of snapping. Taking a deep breath to center myself, I starting setting out a circle of white candles by hand, big enough for the three of us to move around comfortably. I conjured my spear, and used the tip of the serpent-shaped staff to start carving the sigils in the ground. Once I was done with the ground, I took the herbs and bowls and set them on a low table in the middle of the circle space. Lastly, I pulled my ceremonial dagger from the pocket dimension and placed it next to everything else. I surveyed my handiwork and nodded to myself, all done.

It was time. The three men reached the edge of the candles right as the sun touched the horizon. Taking one last look over the symbols painted on them, I signaled that the ritual was starting. Spreading out my hands I caused every candle to burst into flame.

"Chosen of the gods, step over the flames and accept your fate." Both boys stepped into the circle, careful not to set themselves on fire.

"You stand before me at twilight as petitioners for godhood. I have been set with the blessings of my pantheon and my king. Understand once we start you will never be the same again. Do you come to us free of doubt?" Sam and Dean both nodded. "Then Let us begin. Dean Winchester, step forward and join us first." Dean walked up next to me in front of the table, and I started to feel the magic rise from the ground.

 **"This man has been claimed for Godhood. Odin, All-Father has given his blessing, we ask the earth accept him, we ask magic to fill him. May his lifeblood run as golden as the apples of Idunn. May he remain as youthful as eternal spring. May he join the Asir and the Vanir, and may he never die."** I spoke in Old Norse, and as the last syllables fell from my lips, green light rose in tendrils to surround Dean.  **"By the tip of my knife, I mark you as our own, wear these tattoos proudly."** The light held Dean as I carved intricate lines around his waist and back. The light flooded into the wounds, and Dean flashed brightly for a moment, and then it was gone. In its place lines of canary grass and swirls of orange roses. "Dean Winchester, God of hunters, protector of the innocent, leave the circle and join the world." Dean left the circle and stood by Bobby.

 "Samuel Winchester, step forward and join us." He looked a little nervous, but he stepped up anyway. "Kneel, Sam, with the conditions set for you, you will not be able to hold yourself up of your own power." Sam kneeled down in front of me, and I directed a few tendrils of power to hold his up and still. "Be warned, this will hurt, but once we start there is no stopping." At Sam's nod, I began.

  **"This man has been chosen to follow his brother into Godhood. A taint has been set on this mans soul, and conditions for acceptance have been set. He is to be eternally bonded as consort to a god. I, Loki, Bloodbrother of Odin All-Father, claim this budding Godling as my eternal Bonded Consort. Until the time where the bonding ceremony is completed, his powers and to be bound, by order of Odin, King of the Norse. Odin, All-Father has given his blessing, we ask the earth accept him, we ask magic to fill him. May his lifeblood run as golden as the apples of Idunn. May he remain as youthful as eternal spring. May he join the Asir and the Vanir, and may he never die. By the tip of my knife, I mark you as our own, wear these tattoos proudly. By the wax and fire of the ceremonial candles, I mark you as my betrothed. This is a waiting mark, to be filled with ink at our bonding."** In one hand I held my dagger, in the other a conjured candle. I carved a complicated pattern from Sams back onto his torso. Then I tipped the candle and poured the melted wax above his heart. The power holding him sank into his skin, and his back arched. Blood dripped from where he bit his tongue to hold back a scream. When the light died away he collapsed on the ground, I could see the wounds from my knife had turned into a tattoo of a white mulberry tree that seemed to move as he breathed.

I stepped back and raised my arms, hands empty. "I thank the earth and magic for assisting and witnessing this ritual. Go in peace." With a wave of my hand, I vanished the ritual materials and collapsed on my knees next to Sam.


	5. Blood of Sacrifice, Flesh of Bonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and our boys have some time to adjust before the apocalypse comes knocking, but no time till Odin shows up for the bonding. Odin thinks he's funny and has invited a few (read: a lot) gods to be witnesses to the bonding. Sam learns about Loki's children, feels ensue.

I woke up laying on a ratty couch surrounded by books. I quickly took inventory. I was weak, but rapidly regaining power. My knees hurt, and I had a headache. 

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Loki." I sprung up and landed standing on the floor before the last syllable left Deans lips. He smirked and his eyes flashed the color of new evergreen.

"Well, you still look mostly human. How long was I out? have you started practicing with your powers yet?" I looked around, I was in the living room of the house. Sam wasn't in the room, but the beginnings of the consort bond told me he was in the house.

"I got started and summoned a conjured a broadsword. Bobby tried the same trick on Sammy, he got a butter knife, it was hilarious." Dean chuckled at the memory. "But now I can hear everyone in the house and out to the road so..."

"That's good, you are maturing fast. I will have to try a jumpscare on Sam." I was about to go on when a crow flew in the open window and landed on a nearby book stack. Huginn stuck out one leg, and I grabbed the scroll attached. I unrolled it, then promptly lit it on fire with a thought. Dean looked concerned, Huginn looked smug. I controlled the urge to singe his feathers.

"Ugh. Why in the nine worlds would he send me an invitation to my own bonding?" I snapped then dramatically flopped back onto the conjured armchair, only to spring right back up again. " Wait. That means he is sending out invitations. Who is he sending invitations to?" I rounded on the bird, who gave a barking laugh, bobbed his head a few times, and took off back out the window.

"Fuck!" I yelled as Dean burst into laughter.

I singed the birds tail feathers.

 

~-~

 

After I had cooled off (decimated a small forest) I returned to the house. 

"Alright, Deano! Let's train you up some! Samshine you can watch to get the theory. Onward boys!" I walked out of the house, back to the clearing that we had used for the ritual. Stopping in the center I turned and looked at Dean. "With the Judeo-Christian apocalypse bearing down on us you must learn to fight and use your powers quickly. You are a warrior god, so most will be instinctual, but you will be fighting beings with millennia of experience, and you will be fighting. It is inevitable that this comes to a fight. You already have experience fighting, but you need to get used to using your powers. You will be able to teleport and call weapons at will, you will also have greatly increased strength. But you will also have powers that are entirely your own. You need to find them out, and learn to use them. We will start will hand to hand combat and move up from there in the coming days. Hit me as hard as you can." I spread my arms in Deans direction in invitation. Dean pulls back and punches me in the nose. In the few seconds it took me to fly the twenty feet I thought that might be because of the situation with his brother.

 

The day progressed like that, and before I knew it high noon had come and passed. A few hours before nightfall I felt a presence enter the property. Swiftly I turned and spotted my blood brother. "Odin! You have some nerve, behaving like all is well, like I don't know what you did!" I glared at the All-Father.

"Loki, Brother who would I be if I didn't invite all our friends to your bonding? What kind of king would I be if I didn't invite all the important gods and goddesses to the bonding of a prince of Asgard? Really my brother, do you believe me without manners?" Odin looked all too smug. He knew exactly what he did. 

"I can't believe you actually did this! No, wait I can, you must still be mad about the unbuckling saddle, I can fix it you know." 

" _You did what?"_ Sam's voice cut through Odin's delighted cackling.

"Oh? Your betrothed didn't tell you? This is also a diplomatic venture. You are being bonded to a prince of Asgard. That is more important than his last two wives put together. By bonding with Loki, I am accepting you into the royal family, you will also be a prince of Asgard, and to a lesser extent, your brother." Odin's eye positively gleamed as he explained. Sam looked faint. "Well, the ceremony is to take place at midnight, and there is much to do. Go inside all of you, get ready, I will decorate out here. Shoo." They turned and went inside. Each found a bedroom with clothes for the coming festivities, and Loki and Sam found strips for their hair. 

It was half an hour to midnight and there was a knock on the door I was waiting in. I reversed to hold on gravity I had and climbed down off the ceiling. I walked over to the door, opening it I saw Sam standing there in a traditional Norse tunic to match my own and leather pants, he was  _hot_. He was slightly hunched over and looking nervous, clutching the leather hair straps. "I couldn't figure out what I was supposed to do with my hair, I thought you might be able to help since you have more experience with this sort of thing." He seemed to fold into himself even more as I smiled at him. I opened the door further and made a sweeping hand gesture to invite him in. 

"Take a seat in front of the bed Samsquatch. Let's get you all prettied up for the big day, yeah?" I closed the door and sat cross-legged on the mattress. Sam tilted his head back and I started to card my fingers through his hair. After a minute the tension seemed to bleed out of him. Slowly I startled a complicated braid, it spoke of promises, and eternity, and hope. As I braided my intentions for our joined eternity in a way the Norse guests would be able to read, I thought back to similarly braiding intention and hope into my ex-wives and children's hair. I was consumed by memories of spending hours doing elaborate patterns in Hel's hair, of twisting Fenrir's hair into simple braids for strength, doing my own hair for my marriage to Angraboda, of braiding Sigyn's hair in celebration of Navi and Nari's birth. I was so lost in memories of how Jormungand's scales would reflect the way I had done his hair when he shifted, I jumped when Sam offered me one of the leather straps from his hand. "Sorry, I got a little lost there."

"What were you thinking about?" Sam seemed to be trying to take his mind off the coming ceremony.

"I was thinking of all the times if have braided others hair before. I have many children, and I am unsure if they will be allowed out of their respective domains to attend the bonding, it has been many years since I have seen them." I startled myself with how honest I was being, I never spoke so freely.

"Will you tell me about them? You don't have to, but I would like to know more about your family Loki." Sam seemed nervous about asking. I could understand that, the hunter community knew my family was a sore point with me. What he didn't know, was that as both a mother and a father I loved talking about my kids. 

"My children are my pride. I have seven children; Fenrir, Jormundand, Hel, Sleipnir, Navi, Nari, and Vali." Poor Sam looked a little shocked, though he must have done some research on me, so he should have known. "They are my everything, and I love them all so much, but I don't get to see them very often. Fenrir has been confined to an island inside the arctic circle. Jormundand is rarely allowed above the Midgard waters. Hel has many duties in Helheim, and Sleipnir was chosen as Odin's steed. When they were still growing, the gods found a prophecy that foretold the end of days, and it made them fearful of my children, the gods demanded Odin do something. I begged, the only time I ever did, but the needs of the many outways the wants of one. I forgave him in time, but my relationship with most others remains strained. Navi and Nari remain with Sigyn, in gods standards, they are still children, barely eight hundred, and when Sigyn split because I nearly got them killed, I have rarely been invited to visit. Vali was born of my desire for revenge on the gods for the treatment of my first four. But even with all of that, they are so amazing, kind and fierce and loving. Unafraid in the face of others cruelty. I admire the gods they've become."

"It sounds like you have done well with them. I can hear how much you love them." Sam's was quiet, but earnest, sincere. 

"Thank you, Sam. I do love them, very much." Sometime while we were talking, I had finished his hair, and we sat quietly. Sam looked over at the clock and saw it was only ten minutes until midnight. He got up slowly, seemingly unwilling to break the spell. I walked with him to the door. "I'll see you out there Sam." As he stepped out I quickly kissed him on the cheek. Closing the door on his stunned face I slid down the door, well shit, what a way to set up eternity, huh?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be the bonding! Tell me what you think, comment, kudos, subscribe!


	6. The Essence of Two, One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bonding. Odin has a gift for Loki. Some party crashers invited themselves. Thor inherited Odin's sense of humor.

Midnight saw Sam and I standing on opposite sides of the meadow clearing. A crowd of gods obscured my view of the center. I was nervous. I have been married twice, neither of us were exactly blushing virgins, but I was almost out of my mind with nerves. I was committing my heart for eternity, and I _kissed him._ Way to go, me. Sure, Aphrodite and Hephaestus got together, but that took centuries, lots of gifts, and a story so close to Beauty and the Beast most still thought I had something to do with it. I just majorly screwed up, I just know it. 

The sound of drumming broke through my thoughts, it was starting. Slowly as the crowd parted I walked to stand by Odin. I looked just in time to see Sam get prodded through the last people in his way by Vor. The goddess of marriage smirked at me like she knew something when Sam came to a stop next to me. Usually, she did know something, it was irritating. Sam smiled at me softly and the tension melted away, maybe I didn't fuck this up before I even knew what this is.

A hush fell over the assembled gods and human. "I welcome you, honored guests, to the bonding of Loki Luafeysson, God of Mischief and Fire, and Sam Winchester, God of Hunters, Keeper of Lore. Though not in love, their bond will grow strong through the ages. Loki Laufeysson, state your intentions."

I took a deep breath, my hands shaking. "I, Loki Laufeysson, intend to take this man as my bonded consort. I will protect him in every way I can, and keep him on a path to his best self. He alone will remain in my heart." Odin nodded, pleased.

"Sam Winchester, do you accept the intentions of Loki? State your intentions."

"I accept the intentions of Loki Laufeysson. I, Sam Winchester, intend to protect this man from all in my power, and keep him from playing his tricks on the undeserving. He alone will remain in my heart." Odin again nodded. Someone must have told Sam what to say.

"Then, as King of the Northern Gods, I bless this bonding. Loki, take your knife and complete the symbol on Sam." Sam turned to me and removed his shirt as I summoned my knife. Taking a breath I pressed the tip of the knife to the previous scar. Light gathered as I carved. After I was done the light faded, and I looked at the ink-filled sigil. It was a combination of my symbol and a bonding sigil. 

I turned the knife and handed it to Sam, then quickly stripped myself of my shirt. "Just press the tip of the knife to my skin and left the magic do its work." He pressed the knife tip into my skin, drawing a bit of blood, and I could feel the magic race through me, connecting me to Sam. When the light died down, he stepped back, and I looked down at the sigil above my heart, it was beautiful.

"May I introduce Loki Laufeysson and Sam Winchester, bonded consorts before you." Cheers rose up from the assembled crowd. Thor yelled loudly, as is his way. Sam blushed, and I laughed, you could practically see the joy, this had ushered in a new era.

 

~-~

 

Odin waved his hand and long tables filled with food and mean appeared. "Guests! Dine with us! Share in our joy." Odin went and sat at the head of one table. I sat on his left, in my usual seat, Thor sat on his right. Sam sat next to me, Dean next to him, and Bobby on the end. They all seemed in tune with the infectious joy. Thor Struck up a conversation, and they were fast friends. Sam, Bobby, and Odin were engrossed in an intellectual conversation. I smiled to myself, I was surprisingly happy, despite the holes only I could see in the crowd.

"Father!" A group of familiar voices cried. I nearly fell out of my chair in shock, then sprang up and raced toward them, my children. 

"What- How- I don't understand. How are you here?" Even as I spoke I crushed each one in a hug. I let my hands linger on them, unwilling to let them go. Tears were pooling in my eyes.

"I asked Odin to bring them, all of them." Sam spoke behind me. I turned my hands still clinging to my children.

"And I agreed with him, you deserve this. And I have a gift for you." Odin's voice went from the softness he used with family to the voice of a King. "Due to you bonding stabilizing your powers, and through you, the powers of your children, Fenrir, Jormungand, Hel, and Sleipnir are released from their confinement and into your care. Nari and Navi will be in the shared equal custody of Sigyn and you. Vali will return from Asgard to your care." Odin smiled and I burst into tears.

"Brother are you serious? Please tell me I'm not dreaming. Wait, Sam, are you ok with this? I mean how are you feeling about this, you don't have to raise them with me, just thank you for setting this in motion." I was still crying, but now I was also rambling.

Sam smiled, "I would love to help with your children in whatever way I can, Loki, I am so happy for you." I smiled at him, then, after a moment of hesitation, I released my kids for a second to crush Sam into a hug. He laughed and wrapped his arms around me.

 

We did some rearranging, and Sam sat on one side of me while the children sat in a line beside me. They kept switching seats so they all got a chance by my side, and when Odin saw this he would beam down the table at us.

Everyone was eating and drinking and radiating joy, they could feel the change of the tide. A tall black man stood and walked over to Thor, he clapped him on the shoulder, then bent down and said something in his ear. I didn't think anything of it, when as he went back to his seat they both wore matching smiles. It was very loud, and congratulations were being passed in rounds.

A few minutes later Thor stood, instantly gathering everyone's attention. He smiled directly at me, and I suddenly got a bad feeling. He hefted his hammer up onto his shoulder. 

"Alright lovebirds, whose lap is this going in?" Thor's smirk grew a mischievous edge. Sam and I both shot up, in a hurry to get away.

"Oh no, Mister Fertility-God. Not happening, three reasons. One, arranged bonding, no sex necessary. Two, look at my evidence for not needing your blessing, seven beautiful children. Three, why would either of us tell you that? Besides, we all know what happened the last time I touched that hammer, and I didn't sleep right for a century to boot. Not happening." Laughter erupted from every guest, Sam just looked nervous. 

Suddenly Sam's face got contemplative. "You," He pointed to the man from earlier, "you gave Thor the idea, didn't you?" The man stepped forward, and I recognized him, Anansi, the African Trickster.

"Well Lore-Keeper, I think we all know how you are intended to keep Loki in check now. Nothing much gets by you does it?" Anansi smiled, and you could see the spider in him.

"I seem to be more observant with the species change." 

"But you are wrong about one thing, it was all of our ideas. All the Tricksters decided to party-crash this momentous occasion." Several more men and women stepped up beside Anansi. 

I stepped forward. "Well then I welcome you, please join us in merriment, but no deadly pranks. Swear on your magic." Some smiled approvingly, but they all swore.

 

The party lasted until dawn. When the last guest left, Odin disappeared the remnants of the celebrations. He bid us goodbye and left.

"Well, we should all get some sleep. Even we have to sleep sometime." I pushed Sam, Dean, and Bobby toward the house. I turned to my children. "Please, all of you, come to the house, after some sleep I want to hear everything that has happened." I turned and lead them all to the house. 

I dismissed the sound of wings as my own drunkenness. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The apocalypse comes knocking in chapter seven. Comment, Kudos, Subscribe!


	7. Feathers on the Lawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The apocalypse has come knocking, whether the boys are ready for it or not. But they have some allies of their own that the angels did not anticipate.

I woke up once again on a very uncomfortable couch, surrounded by books. My head pounded in a way that could only be the result of Asgardian mead. For a moment I had to cast my mind back last night. When the memories came back I lept straight off the couch in a way that would have been comical to anyone watching, but I didn't care. My children were in the house! I ran headlong out of the room. When I saw them all sitting around the dining room table I slid to a stop, almost falling on my face.

"Goodmorning Dad." Hel smiled softly, little Vali was sitting on her knee, cooing excitedly. I righted myself, then swung Vali into my arms. Settling him on my hip, I smiled broadly at my older children. Navi and Nari ran and attacked my legs, I laughed in joy at having my family around me.

When Sam came down to the kitchen he found us all in a pile on the kitchen floor, laughing and cuddling.

Ten a.m. saw everyone squished into the kitchen eating breakfast. When the last fork was set down Bobby cleared his throat.

"Well, I suppose proper introductions are in order. We are going to need a bigger room for this." We followed Bobby into the living room, it wasn't much bigger than the kitchen but it worked.

"Well, Bobby, Dean, Sam, these are my children, Fenrir, Jormundgand, Hel, Nari, Navi, And Vali. Kids, this is Sam and Dean, and their surrogate daddy Bobby." I spoke, pointing to each person in turn. After a round of hellos, I went to sit down on the couch next to Sam.

Sam immediately turned his attention to Vali. He started to play with him, making faces and getting him to giggle. "So how old is Vali? Because he's in the myths, but he only looks about a year or so old." Sam turned to me, but Fenrir answered to question.

"Vali is only about eight hundred years old. This is very young for a god. Most gods age very slowly, their earliest years they age the slowest, so Vali will start to age faster. Jor and I aged very quickly for gods, just faster than humans. It was part of the reason we were sent away." I nodded at Sam, confirming what Fenrir said.

"So who is Vali's mother? No one has mentioned them." Sams innocent question sent me into a coughing fit, while Fen and Jor laughed loudly.

Once I had my self under control I answered Sam's question. "Vali doesn't have a mother per say. He was created from the mutual sadness and desire for revenge from Odin and myself. Quite a shock for both of us." At this Dean and Bobb joined in the laughter.

"Ah, well that would explain the lore mistranslations."

"Yep." Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Fenrir watching Dean as the other man laughed. The look in his eyes was  _very_ interesting.

We were all so caught up in each other that we only had a split second of warning. I stood and practically threw Vali to Hel, Navi and Nari hid behind her dress. The next second three angels were standing in front of us. As one behind me the men stood. Sleipnir, Jormundgand, And Fenrir made a wall in front of Sam, Dean, and Bobby. Sam moved passed them to stand by me.

"What have you done with the vessels, pagan filth? This is the last place we sensed them, and they are gone, and you are here. Where are they?" The first angel spoke, the other two stood behind him and puffed up, trying to look intimidating, which just looked really funny. Sleipnir snorted at the display their wings were making.

"Easy feathers, we didn't do anything. We are just here visiting our human friend. We don't mean any harm." I sent out a tendril of magic to tell Sam and Dean to keep quiet.

"Who are you? Pagans have never been noticed here before. Bring forth the human, we will question him on the whereabouts of the vessels." Number two and three lowered their wings, thinking the danger past.

I smiled, all sharp edges. "Well, I'm Loki, these are my children, Fenrir, Jormundgand, Sleipnir, Hel, and the three little ones. And the other two and Sam, and Dean." All three angels took a step back at my name, I had a bit of a reputation, Then as I spoke Sam and Dean's names their wings flared aggressively. Hel vanished, taking the youngest three, sensing an impending fight.

"The vessels! What have you done to them filth?" Angel Number One bared its teeth.

I smiled viciously. "I granted a boon, and took your kingpins off the board. It is my right as a god of this earth. Leave, before we make pillows out of you." The angels snarled, then lept as one.

The room exploded into chaos. I threw up a shield around Bobby, then went to intercept one angel. Sam and Dean teamed up on another one, they seemed to be working purely on instinct. Sleipnir, Jomundgand, and Fenrir worked on the last angel. Blows were traded for several minutes. Suddenly the leader broke away from the hold Jormundgand had him in and shouted a command in Enochian. All three angels vanished on the spot. 

I looked around for what could have scared off the angels. Looking behind me I realized. Sam seemed to have gotten a bite out of one of the angels. Blood was smeared on his lips and stained his teeth, which were bared at nothing. His eyes were wide, pupils contracted, the whites had gone black, and the dark blue of his power shone from his irises. Jormudgand was holding Sam, while Fenrir pulled Dean away.

"Why are his eyes black? Is this some left over from the demon blood? I thought we were past that. What the hell is going on?" Dean looked afraid, sagging into Fenrirs grip. 

I ran over to Sam. "Not all black eyes are demon. Pagan eyes turn part black when we use our power, but with the addition of the glowing irises." I turned my own glowing eyes on Dean to prove my point. "The anger Sam is currently dealing with is left over from the demons, it seems to have been triggered by the angel blood. Boys, keep Dean and Bobby safe, answer their questions. I need to take Sam and calm him down. It's not safe to do it here." Jormundgand transferred Sam to me, and with that I left.

I teleported us to a meadow in the middle of a Norwegian forest. I let go of Sam and teleported again, to the other end of the meadow. Sam needed to get out some of the aggression, and he couldn't hurt me.

Sam roared, and ran at me. I dodged the tackle, and Sam rolled into a tree, the force knocking it over. I held my ground. In this state of mind, Sam was a predator, and retreating would make me prey. He sprang to his feet, and threw a punch at me. I let this one hit, snapping my head to the side. I blocked the next punch, grabbing his arm and throwing him over my shoulder. I turned to pin him, but he was gone. A hit to the back caught me by surprise. I stumbled, and he took the opening to throw me to the ground. I looked up into his still glowing eyes, he snarled at me. When he moved to better pin me, I used the opportunity to turn our positions. I pinned his arms with my knees and stopped to breathe.

With Sam effectively pinned, I conjured my dagger and made a deep cut under my collarbone. Sam lunged up and caught the bleeding wound with his mouth. I screamed, my power releasing in a golden shockwave. Sam's dark blue magic radiating off him in softer waves. As Sam sucked down more of my blood, our magic swirled, wreaking havoc on the meadow.

When everything calmed down, Sam pulled off. It could have been five minutes, or five hours and I wouldn't have been able to tell. At some point we had shifted and now I was sitting in his lap, with his hands on my hips. Slowly I shifted off his lap and flopped onto the ground. I tugged him down to lay next to me.

"Sorry, Blood sharing is very intense and intimate for pagans. It's going to take a few minutes before we will want to get up." Sam just hummed in response. "We will need to talk about what just happened later, and we will have to figure out a way to train you to get control."

We just layed there a while, watching the clouds. It was peaceful. I could tell when reality seeped back in for Sam, as I watched him tense up I sighed, then slowly stood up. Sam followed my example. His eyes widened when he saw the meadow.

The clearing looked like a storm had swept through. Trees were leaning, and some branches had fallen. bushes were crushed and torn up. It was a disaster. But over that were creeping vines, and the meadow floor was covered with a carpet of flowers. Everything glowed softly with an aura of magic. It was chaotic, but beautiful.

"Did we do this?" His voice was quiet, as if not to disturb some fragile peace.

"Yeah, Samshine. We need to get back before your brother has an aneurysm. Let's go." My voice was equally quiet. I stretched out a hand, and when he grabbed it we vanished.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to vote! Should Fenrir and Dean be a thing? Or should I bring in Cassie to sweep baby pagan Dean off his newly pagan feet? Comment, Kudos, Subscribe!


	8. The Choices of Baby Pagans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for my extended absence. It was the end of my semester, then I caught a nasty case of writer's block. After that, my boyfriend borrowed my laptop. Next up is an update of The Voice of the Soul. Go check it out!

Sam and I arrived back at the house to find that at some point Hel and the little ones had come back. When I saw Dean practically leaning on Fen, I snickered.  
"Hello all! You all look cozy. Fen, did you answer all of Deano's questions?" Dean looked embarrassed, but when he got a good look at Sam, his grin almost broke his face.  
"Hey Sammy, you got a little somethin' there." Dean said. Sam looked confused, so I swiped my thumb across his bottom lip, showing him the blood there. Sam's eyes widened, and he darted off the bathroom.  
"So, Dad, I guess we know how your last few hours were." Jor was smirking, little smartass.  
"Oh, it was magical. Seriously, I'm thinking about giving you guys a new sibling." I started laughing at Dean's horrified face.  
"Relax Dean, you already knew my father has a terrible sense of humor." Fen shifted closer to Dean as he spoke.  
I stepped past everyone and sat down by Hel. She passed me Vali, and Navi and Nari curled up by my legs. I snapped, creating a toy for Vali, and started a conversation with the twins.  
"Daddy, what is going on?" Nari asked.  
"Who were the winged people from earlier?" Navi added. They tended to do that, speak together, or add on to each other's thoughts.

"They were here for Sam and Dean. They want them to do bad things for them. The winged people are called angels, and they want to end the world. But Sam and Dean came to us instead, and the angels aren't happy about it." They nodded in unison like it made perfect sense.

"Are they twins?" Sam had come out of the bathroom, significantly less embarrassed. 

"Yep! Navi and Nari are about eight years old, measured on a humans growth scale." Sam came over to sit next to me, and the boys started talking excitedly to him about something.

I turned my attention back to my older children. "Heaven knows we're in this now. They have seen Sam's power. They will be angry at the interference. This will come to a fight. Fen, I want you to take over Dean's training for me, so I can focus on helping Sam. Jor, Sleip, I need you to find as many gods as possible and convince them to be on call for the showdown." Receiving nods from the boys, I turned to my hardest sell. "Hel, Kjære, I need you to take Navi, Nari, and Vali down to Helheim when the fight breaks out. I need you to keep them safe for me."

"But I can fight! You know I can. I am just as good as my brothers! You need everyone you can get. I want to fight."

"You are the only one I can trust with them. You have a safe place to take them, and you can care for them. I know you can fight, but I need you to take care of the little ones. Please, I can't worry about them."

"I won't take them yet, we just got you back." Hel looked afraid I wouldn't let her wait with us.

"You expect a fight? I thought the angels would back down once we were useless. Why would they still want to fight?" Dean spoke, pulling away slightly from Fen. I just have to figure out what is going on there.

"Those birdbrains were definitely mad, you saw that. They view you as property, and we took you and offended them. Michael is just itching for a fight."

"So what can we do? We can't just wait around for them. I won't hide." Dean's eyes started to glow with his agitation.

"You boys will go through an advanced combat training to get used to your powers. We have some time before the angels strike. They are planning, and we need to be ready for them. We should start now." With that, I stood up and handed Vali to Hel. Navi and Nari followed at my heels as I walked out to the clearing.

-~-

I motioned Sam forward, he glanced back at his brother standing next to Fenrir. Dean waved him on and he came to stand next to me.

"Ok, first we're going to work one on one, then we'll mock battle, Sam and I against Dean and Fen." Fen nodded, then started talking to Dean.

"Sam, I want you to reach into your core and get a feel for the power there. Once you get to know it a bit, call it forward and hit me with it." I shot him a cocky grin.

"But can't that hurt you?"

"Sam Sam Sammy, I am much older than you, and more knowledgeable on godly combat. Don't worry sugar plum, you can't hurt me, so sweet knowing you care though." 

Sam nodded, cheeks flushed and closed his eyes. A minute passed, then two. Sam stood still as stone. Slowly the wind picked up, blowing the grass, picking up leaves. Sam opened his glowing blue eyes. A sudden force threw me back ten feet into a tree. Sam stalked forward, lost in the power, invisible hands wrapped around my neck and lifted me off the ground. I pushed back, my eyes golden. His hold broke, but now this was something else.

At first, when he touched the power inside him, he didn't recognize me, now that primal part of his mind recognized mate, but I had challenged him. This isn't the last time it will happen, I just hadn't expected it so soon. It's an old courting ritual, a battle for dominance. It won't end in sex, not yet, but if I back down now he won't accept help controlling himself from me until I win. 

I knocked him back toward the center of the clearing, he growled and pushed back. He was stronger than I expected, this was going to be a real fight. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Fenrir holding Dean back, explaining what was happening. Suddenly Sam launched himself at me, attempting to pin me to the ground. My eyes flared, and I reversed us, holding him down. He growled again and struggled against me. I leaned down and lightly closed my teeth around his throat in warning. Sam went limp. I stood up and walked back a few steps as I watched his eyes dim.

Fen walked up to us slowly, Dean a step behind him. Fen's wolf nature kept him from meeting my eyes, but I could see his smile. "Maybe we should pick this up tomorrow?"

"Yeah, let's stop for the day." I helped Sam up off the ground and together we headed back to the house.


End file.
